City News

Austin’s controversial ban on homeless camping passes in May election

Eight propositions were on the ballot in Austin.

Photo courtesy of The Heritage Society Museum

KVUE — In the days leading up to the May 1 election, Austin voters had the chance to vote on eight propositions that could have lasting impacts across the city.

Nearly 67,000 people voted on Election Day, with more than 100,000 early voting and nearly 3,500 voting by mail.

Here’s a look at which propositions passed, which propositions failed, and what that means for the future of Austinites.

Proposition A
Firefighters union charter amendment between City of Austin and the Austin Firefighters Association

Ballot language:

“Shall the City Charter be amended to give the Austin Firefighters Association, Local 975 of the International Association of Fire Fighters, the authority to require the City to participate in binding arbitration of all issues in dispute with the Association if the City and the Association reach impasse in collective bargaining negotiations?”

Proposition A passed. That means if the Austin Firefighters Association and the City of Austin reach an impasse, or a “deadlock,” in collective bargaining negotiations, then either side will have the ability to force labor negotiations into binding arbitration.

Proposition B
Reinstating the homeless camping ban ordinances

Ballot language:

“Shall an ordinance be adopted that would create a criminal offense and a penalty for sitting or lying down on a public sidewalk or sleeping outdoors in and near the Downtown area and the area around the University of Texas campus; create a criminal offense and penalty for solicitation, defined as requesting money or another thing of value, at specific hours and locations or for solicitation in a public area that is deemed aggressive in manner; create a criminal offense and penalty for camping in any public area not designated by the Parks and Recreation Department?”

Proposition B passed, meaning local leaders will reinstate the City’s camping ban. The ban will make it illegal to camp in certain places, to sit or lie on public sidewalks or outdoors in certain areas, and to panhandle at night.

Proposition C
Process of appointing the director of police oversight

Ballot language:

“Shall the city charter be amended to allow for a Director of Police Oversight to be appointed or removed in a manner established by City Council ordinance, with duties that include the responsibility to ensure transparency and accountability as it relates to policing?”

Proposition C passed, allowing the city council to create rules for appointing the director of police oversight through an ordinance.

Proposition D
Changing the dates of Austin mayoral elections

Ballot language:

“Shall the City Charter be amended to transition the election for mayor from gubernatorial election years to presidential election years, providing that the mayor elected in 2022 will serve a 2-year term and then mayoral elections will occur on the same date as presidential elections starting in 2024?”

Proposition D passed, changing the mayor’s election dates from gubernatorial years to presidential years. The mayor elected in 2022 will serve a two-year term and be up for re-election in the 2024 presidential election year. The mayor elected in 2024 will then begin serving a full four-year term.

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To see the full story, including updates, head to KVUE News.

politics

Infowins

Satire website The Onion wins auction for Alex Jones' Infowars

Getty Images

Alex Jones at a trial related to the case in 2021.

The satirical news publication The Onion won the bidding for Alex Jones' Infowars at a bankruptcy auction, backed by families of Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting victims whom Jones owes more than $1 billion in defamation judgments for calling the massacre a hoax.

"The dissolution of Alex Jones’ assets and the death of Infowars is the justice we have long awaited and fought for,” Robbie Parker, whose daughter Emilie was killed in the 2012 shooting in Connecticut, said in a statement Thursday provided by his lawyers.

The Onion acquired the conspiracy theory platform’s website; social media accounts; studio in Austin, Texas; trademarks; and video archive. The sale price was not immediately disclosed. The Onion said its “exclusive launch advertiser” will be the gun violence prevention organization Everytown for Gun Safety.

The Infowars website appeared to be down Thursday morning. Jones was angry and defiant on his live broadcast before announcing that his show was being shut down and signing off. Jones vowed to challenge the sale and auction process in court and said he would resume his broadcasts from a new studio using websites and social media accounts he said were already set up.

“The journey has just begun. Thank you,” Jones concluded.

The Onion, a Chicago-based satirical site that manages to persuade people to believe the absurd, confirmed the sale in a column on its website.

“No price would be too high for such a cornucopia of malleable assets and minds,” said the satirical post. “And yet, in a stroke of good fortune, a formidable special interest group has outwitted the hapless owner of InfoWars (a forgettable man with an already-forgotten name) and forced him to sell it at a steep bargain: less than one trillion dollars.”

The Onion bills itself as “the world’s leading news publication, offering highly acclaimed, universally revered coverage of breaking national, international, and local news events” and says it has 4.3 trillion daily readers. Recent headlines have included, "Trump Boys Have Slap Fight Over Who Gets To Run Foreign Policy Meetings,” “Oklahoma Law Requires Ten Commandments To Be Displayed In Every Womb” and “Man Forgetting Difference Between Meteoroid, Meteorite Struggles To Describe What Just Killed His Dog.”

The publication consulted on the bidding with some of the Sandy Hook families that sued Jones for defamation and emotional distress in lawsuits in Connecticut and Texas, lawyers for the families said.

“Our clients knew that true accountability meant an end to Infowars and an end to Jones’ ability to spread lies, pain and fear at scale,” said Christopher Mattei, a lawyer for the families.

Everytown for Gun Safety said it will use the Infowars platforms to raise awareness about gun violence.

Sandy Hook families sued Jones and his company for repeatedly saying on his show that the shooting that killed 20 children and six educators in Newtown, Connecticut, was a hoax staged by crisis actors to spur more gun control.

Parents and children of many of the victims testified that they were traumatized by Jones’ conspiracies and threats by his followers.

Before he signed off Thursday, Jones repeatedly told listeners that the bankruptcy trustee and others were in the building and threatening to shut down the show at any moment.

Sealed bids for the private auction were opened Wednesday. Both supporters and detractors of Jones had expressed interest in buying Infowars.

Jones had told listeners that if his supporters won the bidding, he could stay on the Infowars platforms. The bankruptcy trustee named First United American Companies, a company affiliated with one of Jones’ product-selling sites, as the “backup bid,” in case The Onion purchase falls through.

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